United Nations cultural agency UNESCO said Wednesday the Palestinian flag would be raised at its Paris headquarters next week after Palestine won full membership despite Israeli and US objections. The flag will be raised on Tuesday "to mark Palestine's admission to the organisation" in the presence of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and foreign minister Riad Maliki, UNESCO said in a statement.
Palestine won full UNESCO membership in a vote in October - a move seen as a step towards its eventual recognition as a UN member state. The move prompted Israel and the United States to pull the plug on their UNESCO funding. Legislation dating from the 1990s requires the US administration, Israel's staunchest ally, to withdraw funding from any UN agency that admits Palestine as a full member before a final peace deal is reached with Israel.
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